“Cut!
Take a five-minute break!”
“This scene didn’t pass.
Kana-chan, you’ll have to work hard to reshoot it a bit later.
Go ahead and rest for five minutes first.”
“Yes…”
As the setting sun sank, the girl with wine-red hair and a small round hat, who looked to be no more than eight years old, raised her head.
In her bright, magnificent red eyes, a smiling man rubbing his hands together at her was reflected.
Kana gently bit her lower lip, nodded, and walked somewhat dejectedly toward the direction of the dressing tent.
…
“What kind of genius child star is Kana?!
Her Acting and performance are way too terrible, aren’t they?!
How can there be so many mistakes?
Wasting so much time on a simple crying scene!
Weren’t they saying she was some sort of ‘genius child star who can cry in ten seconds’?”
“Sigh…
Alright, alright, Director Arai, calm down.
After all, she’s just a kid, getting angry at her is useless…
But it does feel like her performance is a bit off.
I’ve worked with her before, and I have no idea why she’s turned out like this now…”
“Tsk, if this is still her performance, collaboration with their agency will be suspended for now, understand?”
“…”
Covering her ears, Kana, hiding in the restroom, bit her lower lip tightly.
What on earth does Acting mean to her?
Standing in front of the restroom mirror, Kana stood on tiptoe, her tender white fingers clutching the edge of the sink, staring at herself in the mirror.
Her wine-red short hair cascaded down the brim of her hat onto her frail and cute shoulders.
An exceptionally cute, rounded, and well-proportioned child’s face.
No matter where she was, this should be the face of a perfect child actor.
Except…
the only thing that felt slightly flawed was those eyes.
Those eyes that used to be dazzling and magnificent, like tiny suns, were now shrouded in a small shadow.
What on earth…
did Acting represent to her?
Kana’s raised, chubby, fair legs dropped back down.
She closed her eyes.
“Mom is not wrong!”
“Everything Mom does is for your sake!”
“Why can’t you just understand?”
Her mother’s voice…
a piercing voice entered her ears.
Followed by the sound of making a phone call.
“Director Yamashita, do you think you could let Kana join the filming of your new work?”
“What?!
No?
Why?
This is our Kana, you know!
A genius child star of the Shōwa era!”
“Damn it!
That director must have something wrong with his brain, or his skill is just totally useless!” (In Japanese, the title for director should be kantoku, and there is also the abbreviation ‘D’, including ‘AD’ assistant director later on, but for easier understanding, it’s directly translated as director here, just a matter of changing titles)
“…”
The noise faded from her ears.
Kana opened her eyes.
When she first entered this industry, she was undoubtedly very happy.
Possessing the talent for Acting, as long as she casually acted and brought out her Acting, she could gain the adults’ recognition, her mother’s recognition, and make everyone happy and joyful.
Therefore, she didn’t understand at all.
Ever since when did everything start to change?
The job offers that she previously thought she could ignore, or even casually accept or reject, gradually decreased.
Her popularity as a child actor also began to decline.
Her mother began to take her anger out on her.
Arguments at home also increased day by day.
“If you can’t get along well with the people around you, you won’t be able to survive in this industry.”
Kana remembered that a certain director had told her this.
But—
She simply couldn’t figure out the deep meaning behind these words.
Yes.
She completely couldn’t figure it out.
Kana.
Eight years old this year.
Even as a child actor, even possessing seemingly ‘mature’ abilities.
But a child is a child; there is an essential difference between her and adults, and she simply couldn’t withstand such immense pressure.
Similarly, an eight-year-old child could never smoothly and properly handle all the worldly sophistication on a mixed-bag film set.
Therefore, at only eight years old, she naturally wondered if she was standing out far too much on the film set.
Then…
as long as she used Acting that matched others, to make the work better and cater to others…
would she be able to receive praise from adults again like before?
Kana reached out her hand.
Her tender pink fingers picked off the small round hat on her head.
She held it tightly in her arms.
Her tears seemed ready to fall spinelessly from her eye sockets.
But she couldn’t cry.
Crying would ruin the makeup on her face.
If she ruined her makeup, it would take time to touch it up again.
Therefore, Kana didn’t cry.
Until the director and floor manager over at the men’s restroom left.
She then took steps and walked out of the women’s restroom.
However, she hadn’t even walked two steps.
When a gentle and lazy voice suddenly came from ahead.
“Hey—”
“Eh?”
Kana’s footsteps paused.
This must be calling her, right?
She subconsciously raised her head.
That was a boy of about her age.
At this moment, the other party was sitting on a nearby lounge chair, flipping through the book in his hand.
Fair and healthy skin, pitch-black short hair, underneath which was a well-proportioned and cute face.
“Kana?” The boy closed the book at his side and stood up.
“I am…”
If it were the usual Kana, being suddenly called by her first name in such a condescending attitude by a peer, she would definitely feel quite annoyed.
You must know she was a genius child star—a genius in the true sense.
But perhaps due to her emotional low.
She unexpectedly didn’t say much for once.
No…
perhaps more crucially…
Kana swallowed.
The child in front of her…
his large, raised black eyes gave her the illusion that he wasn’t her peer.
Clearly, the other party was just like her.
Cute child’s face.
Similar age.
Yet in the other party’s black eyes, there was a maturity…
that children completely lacked?
Yes.
Perhaps using maturity to describe a child who looked similar in age to herself was quite strange.
But this was the fact.
Kana, who was extremely sensitive to Acting, could perceive it.
On the face of the boy in front of her, it wasn’t that affected ‘maturity’ of a ‘little adult’ disguised by a child actor, but a solid, adult-like maturity.
Kana watched as the boy in front of her stood up.
He didn’t seem to care at all about her gaze looking him over; instead, he unhurriedly closed the book in his hand first, and then spoke.
“I heard everything the director said just now.”
“Eh?”
Kana was stunned for a moment.
Heard…
That is to say, this child in front of her deliberately stayed here to strike up a conversation with her?
Did he want to see her embarrassing appearance?
Or…
did he want to take the opportunity when she was feeling down to talk to her, converse, and comfort her?
Judging by Kana’s three years of child actor experience.
It was highly likely the latter.
You must know she was a genius child star, a child star in the true sense.
Even if her fame had dropped somewhat now, she wasn’t someone that just any random peer child actor could compare with.
If he could please her…
to say the least, later outside, when her name was mentioned, the unique ‘bullying’ phenomenon among child actors of the same age group would decrease quite a bit.
After figuring this out, Kana’s mood improved quite a bit, which was rare.
She reached out her hand, tucking the red hair behind her ear with a poised attitude, and was just about to speak—
“I think what the director said is actually right.”
“Eh…?”
The lifted red hair slowly drifted down.
Her wine-red big eyes widened, and Kana looked blankly at the boy resting his face in his hands in front of her.
“What is this guy talking about?”
Yet the other person’s words still didn’t stop, without even a moment of hesitation.
“Your Acting today was truly unwatchable.”
“Urgh!”
Kana covered her flat chest.
“After all, why can’t a child prodigy get through even the simplest crying scene?”
“Mmh!”
“Do you know that your pay is several times mine?”
“Wuwu…”
The proud Kana’s mouth twitched, and her chubby, cute little fleshy legs were trembling with anger.
If it were ordinary criticism, her high proficiency as a child star might still be able to endure it.
But the problem was, was the other person’s mouth a quenched knife?
Stabbing it in was practically drawing blood and flesh with every strike… Coupled with that immensely disgusted tone, who could endure this?
“You fellow!!!”
She gritted her teeth, wanting to ask which child star agency the other person belonged to, to be so rude in front of her, a great senior who had already entered the child star industry for three years.
However——
“Do you think this is your true level?”
The voice abruptly shifted.
“Eh…?”
Kana looked up.
She locked eyes with the boy in front of her.
In the pitch-black and clear eyes, all the disgust and reproach from just now had vanished.
He was just quietly looking at her.
It really was that kind of, very quiet gaze.
For some reason, deep inside, the anger that was still flickering just now slowly dissipated and disappeared.
Because the other person’s question truly pierced straight to the heart.
The Acting just now…
Was that really all of her strength?
Kana knew very well.
But so what if she brought out all of her level?
That kind of pure, egocentric Acting that disregarded others—in the end, her work would still become less and less, and her popularity would still continue to drop.
Rather than that, might as well——
“Rather than that, it’s better to muddle along, bring out appropriate Acting, cater to the Acting of the surrounding actors, cater to the expectations of adults, and better complete this work, right?”
“…” Kana.
Kana didn’t speak; she just blankly raised her head and looked at the boy in front of her.
She didn’t understand why the peer in front of her could see through her thoughts at a glance.
But the boy ignored her astonished gaze.
He spoke in a tone that left Kana with no room for doubt.
“But that thought of yours is wrong.”
Wrong…?
Kana was stunned.
But immediately following was an irrepressible anger.
“What do you know, you guy?!”
What did the boy understand?
After her popularity dropped, she had always suppressed herself, always catering to others, accompanied by her mother’s incomprehending gaze at home… Along this path, how many things had an eight-year-old child experienced, and what did the guy in front of her understand?
“Stop talking down to me!”
She finally couldn’t help it, rushed straight over, and grabbed the boy’s collar.
An eight-year-old girl naturally developed faster than a boy.
Her height was a shoulder higher than the boy in front of her.
“What on earth do you know?!”
Tears finally couldn’t be held back and welled up from her eye sockets.
Kana spoke.
Her childish voice carried a crying tone.
Beside her ears, the madder-red hair strands seemed to dim.
If it were the male lead in a typical light novel or anime seeing an eight-year-old girl crying pear blossoms in rain in front of him, he might panic for a moment and then clumsily comfort her.
But the guy in front of her was as if lacking a human heart.
He merely glanced at her indifferently.
Without a shred of comfort, nor any intention of consolation, he spoke.
“What do you think an actor is?”
“…” Kana opened her mouth.
The other person’s question made it difficult for her, who was merely eight years old, to answer.
But the boy in front of her, as if anticipating this result, continued to speak.
“Actors are people who bring out Acting for selfish desires.”
“What actors need to do is not accommodate other actors, but bring out all their strength on the set.
Actors are people who gather the focus of the entire shooting scene onto themselves.”
“B-But… if it’s like that…”
Kana’s cherry-pink lips muttered, and her gaze dimmed.
Because she used to do it just like that.
Bringing out egocentric Acting, making many child stars Acting opposite her, and even some adult actors, unable to step down gracefully.
It’s like, when many people watch movies or TV series, there is always such a situation—one party’s Acting is very good, while the other party’s actors cannot catch the other’s performance.
However——
“So what?”
Kana blankly looked at the boy in front of her.
“Directors and audiences will only remember the actor with better Acting.”
He said in a calm tone, speaking thus.
Yes.
The Japanese industry is just like this.
What Kana considered was partially correct, but among them, a considerable part undoubtedly fell into a dead end.
On the set, human relations and the ability to get work from directors and producers are undoubtedly the first priority—because only by appearing in Acting and stepping onto the big screen can more audiences recognize you.
However, the second priority is undoubtedly one’s own strength.
When the fame of both actors and the capital of the agencies behind them are about the same.
As long as the director is not blind, they will definitely choose the side with more excellent Acting that can touch people’s hearts.
Suppressing one’s own Acting…?
Catering to the standard of the work’s shooting?
“That is simply your purely narrow-minded thinking.”
The boy looked at Kana and replied thus.
Unconsciously, Kana’s action of pinching the other’s collar had already loosened.
She fell into silence.
At eight years old, she actually couldn’t understand many meanings in the other’s words.
But one thing she understood.
Suppressing one’s strength on the shooting set might really not be a good thing.
To put it bluntly.
The boy raised his face, staring at her with that cute face.
Those deep eyes seemed as if they were about to suck her into them.
“Acting is an actor’s greatest weapon besides capital and personal connections.”
He said so.
…
The staff greeted each other, the light blockers were ready, the camera positions went to their designated places, and the director and floor manager sat down.
“white coastline Take 3, Scene 23, Action!”
Clack!
The clapperboard clapped!
The synopsis of white coastline is actually very simple: a single young man adopts an eight-year-old daughter who was previously bullied and abused by her adoptive father, getting to know and understand each other, opening up their hearts, and ultimately communicating their feelings and redeeming each other.
This is a very standard art film genre, mainly aimed at earning the audience’s tears.
And this scene is the final conversation between the young man Shunta and his daughter Yui by the sea——
After the clapperboard clapped.
The madder-red sunset descended.
On the distant horizon, seagulls appeared——
The black silhouettes of the seagulls in the distance first entered the frame, then exited, and the young man Shunta and daughter Yui entered the frame.
The timing of the framing was not bad.
Director Arai sitting in front of the monitor nodded, and couldn’t help looking at the two people in the frame.
To be honest, he was only worried about Kana’s performance now.
You must know, the child prodigy earlier really made him somewhat disappointed.
Originally, it was for the other’s Acting that he spent a large salary inviting the other to participate—two months, and even giving the lead role position.
As a result, the other’s performance simply made him deeply disappointed.
Although not to the extent of being unwatchable, it simply didn’t reach the results he expected.
If used with a gacha analogy, that would probably be like spending a lot of money to draw a main DPS, whose output is not even a fraction of your previous characters.
And this crying scene in the final act is the scene that can best showcase the charm of the daughter Yui.
Yui’s tears in this final scene are not only a release from past sufferings, but also an acknowledgment of the new father Shunta.
This was also the biggest reason why he had just complained to Kana.
The earlier parts could be brushed off with mediocre Acting, but this scene absolutely could not be sloppy…
However, Kana had disappointed him once again — her crying scene was mediocre, and it even made him distinctly feel that it was ‘fake’.
This really pushed him past his breaking point, which was why he flew into a rage while smoking behind the men’s restroom.
“I hope this time won’t disappoint me.”
Looking at the girl in the frame whose wine-red hair was fluttering in the sea breeze, Director Arai stared intently at the monitor.
But soon…
he found…
that he couldn’t take his eyes off.
The hem of her white long dress fluttered slightly.
Loose white sand grains clung between the girl’s fair toes.
“Keep walking!
Shunta-san!”
Little Yui, being carried on Shunta’s back, laughed and sang happily.
Because this was the first time she had seen the sea, and the first time she had been so happy.
“Let’s stop right here, Shunta-san!”
She pressed down on her hat to prevent the sea breeze from blowing it away.
Shunta turned his head sideways, set her down, and smiled upon seeing her so happy.
The two of them just sat like that, squinting their eyes as they watched the setting sun sink below the edge of the distant horizon.
Suddenly, Yui beside him cried out loudly.
“Shunta-san!”
“Hey—”
Shunta responded gently.
“Shunta-san!”
“Hey—”
“Daddy—”
“Eh—?”
Shunta acknowledged, but quickly turned his head sideways in astonishment.
Because for Yui, ‘father’ was undoubtedly the title she least wanted to mention.
Abused.
Her arms were covered in bruises.
Cigarette burns.
Daily abuse.
She had never stepped out of the shadow of ‘father’.
Therefore, she had never called anyone father.
But now…
He turned his head sideways.
She was also looking at him.
Up close, the red-haired girl hugged her knees with her face turned to the side.
The sea breeze blew past her white long dress.
Her tender childlike face, under the setting sun, was as beautiful as an oil painting.
Yet her bright eyes curved slightly.
Crystal-clear tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.
Clearly she was crying.
Yet she seemed to be smiling.
The young male actor playing Shunta froze.
Director Arai, who had a look of impatience just a moment ago, stood up.
He widened his eyes as he watched this scene.
Not until this moment did he understand what the industry’s description of Acting as ‘dazzling like the sun’ truly meant.
Everyone quieted down.
Immediately following that was the director’s excited voice.
“Cut!
Cut!
Cut!
This take passes!”
…
At the wrap party, Kana, wearing a children’s formal dress with a corsage reading ‘Yuka’s role’ pinned to her chest, trotted over to Director Arai.
“D-Director Arai!”
“Oh—it’s Kana-chan.
Your performance today was really great, is something the matter?” Director Arai greeted with a smile.
Although Kana’s previous performance could only be described as mediocre, her performance in the final scene today was simply too stunning, leaving him unable to help but sigh in admiration.
Based on this single shot alone, he had the confidence to win one of the top ten shots selected by film magazines this season.
But at the same time, he was also a bit speechless—so you originally had such a great performance in you, yet your earlier performance was like that?
Were you Acting against me on purpose?
“Um…
I’d like to ask, where is that other child actor?”
A breathless Kana forced down a breath and anxiously raised her question.
“Another child…?
Hm?”
Taken aback by the other party’s sudden question, Director Arai froze for a moment.
Then he reacted: “The child Kana-chan is talking about is the one who played Shirai…
right?”
There were only two child roles in white coastline in total.
One was Yui, starred by Kana, and as for the other, it was Shirai, the boy who helped Yui integrate into the class at elementary school.
Director Arai had quite an impression of that boy actor.
After all, he looked very good, and his Acting was quite flawless.
Even though it was only one or two shots, he left a rather deep impression on him.
However, unlike Kana, a well-known first-tier child actor, the other party was merely a minor child actor, so Director Arai really hadn’t paid much attention to his name.
This could also be considered a rather realistic phenomenon in the industry.
A minor child actor without resources, without capital, and without an agency backing them was not even worth as much as the name ‘Kana’.
Director Arai scratched his head.
“Um…
what was his name again…?
I remember his performance was also quite good, and I have intentions of collaborating next time.
Um…
Takagiku, bring the cast list over for me to see.”
“Yes, Director Arai.”
The assistant director nearby rummaged through a personal bag, took out the list, and handed it to Director Arai.
Taking advantage of this interval, Kana hurriedly squeezed over to Director Arai’s side.
She stood on her tiptoes.
She stood on her tiptoes, trying harder and harder.
Only then managed to squeeze her head over.
She still remembered what that child had said to her earlier.
“Acting is an actor’s greatest weapon besides capital and personal connections.”
Then, she saw the other person’s name.
She read it out word by word.
“Minami…
Yuji.”